Suite Perk Questions

[Shelly97060]

THANK YOU! He's visiting his maternal grandmother who lives 2 units down from me, and she has invited me to join them for Afternoon Tea today. I shall pass on the information. I understood there was a specific menu for Canapes to be selected from, but will make sure I have budgeted to cover the costs anyway. Much better to save too much money than not enough-I can always buy an extra Future Cruise Credit.

 

You will get a order card for canapés each night - they ask you to select 6 canapé ( if I recall correctly) and you indicate the time you would like them delivered. Room service also has canapés you can order 10-15 dollars depending on the variety ( I think there were about 10 on a plate).

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials and booking a full suite for your Honeymoon cruise. The three best perks you will enjoy (IMHO) are the free laundry service, breakfast in Sabatinis, and ordering in-room meals from the MDR menus. You might get a little spoiled......:):):)

 

Bob

Edited August 16, 2015 by Woobstr112G

[mysaddlebred000]

The nightly canapes are nothing special. We have not been able to get chocolate covered strawberries on our last three cruises. They are no longer listed on the selection sheet. the other ones are the same ones they have had for the past 15 years or so. bacon wrapped bread sticks are soggy when they arrive . Order one night before you invite your friend.

I would suggest you go up to the buffet and get a plate or two of snacks and bring them back to your cabin. Or just order some that you will have to pay for.

One of the AMEX PLATINUM perks was changed to a large plate of those canapes delivered on the first day. YUCK - two plates of them. We have stopped ordering them since the strawberries have gone away. They were our favorite.

 

You will get a small amount of nuts the first day also as a suite perk. Half the time they are also stale.

 

We also have started bring along our own snakes to have with cocktails on the balcony before dinner. Mixed nuts, etc. Much easier than running to the buffet.

 

Enjoy your suite

[shredie]

We also have started bring along our own snakes to have with cocktails on the balcony before dinner. Mixed nuts, etc. Much easier than running to the buffet.

 

 

Just send the snake to do it. :D

[mysaddlebred000]

I must need glasses - wait, I was wearing glasses. I was possitive it showed snacks on the screen. Someone inside my computer is screwing with me. must be that damn little snake.:D

[shredie]

I must need glasses - wait, I was wearing glasses. I was possitive it showed snacks on the screen. Someone inside my computer is screwing with me. must be that damn little snake.:D

 

LOL. Sometimes typos are fun!

[caribill]

Just send the snake to do it. :D

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-a-Snake

[mysaddlebred000]

http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-a-Snake

 

NO THANKS!! my wife would kill me if I suggested that.

[crochetcruise]

The mini bar liquor is on the counter. The sodas and mixers are in the refrigerator. You can shuffle things around to make room for champagne. It's a bar sized refrigerator with a small shelf inside and in the door.

 

I'm going to take an oven tray down to my local electrical retailer and check if it could be used as an extra shelf in the bar fridge. Have 2 different sizes of trays that may be suitable, will take them both to check.

[crochetcruise]

The nightly canapes are nothing special. We have not been able to get chocolate covered strawberries on our last three cruises. They are no longer listed on the selection sheet. the other ones are the same ones they have had for the past 15 years or so. bacon wrapped bread sticks are soggy when they arrive . Order one night before you invite your friend.

I would suggest you go up to the buffet and get a plate or two of snacks and bring them back to your cabin. Or just order some that you will have to pay for.

One of the AMEX PLATINUM perks was changed to a large plate of those canapes delivered on the first day. YUCK - two plates of them. We have stopped ordering them since the strawberries have gone away. They were our favorite.

 

You will get a small amount of nuts the first day also as a suite perk. Half the time they are also stale.

 

We also have started bring along our own snakes to have with cocktails on the balcony before dinner. Mixed nuts, etc. Much easier than running to the buffet.

 

Enjoy your suite

 

THANK YOU! I sure will enjoy the Suite, and you've solved the problem of what I'd forgotten to write down on my Cruise Packing List-Packets of Nuts-thinking Cashews for indulgence-to enjoy with Cocktails in the Suite. I have a large 16 oz plastic mug with a clip-on lid, and I'm happy to be served a drink, then have it poured into my mug-I realise the glass used probably will be much smaller but I need the clip on lid to be able to return to the Window Suite safely with my drink. Yes, I have read the tip about visiting several different bars to get more than 1 drink, will be doing that as I'm not sure if Cocktails are provided by Room Service. I'm not fussed about needing to use a mug rather than drink from a pretty glass if I've had to move around with my drink, I'm fiercely independent, and am happy to visit a succession of bars to obtain the refreshments I desire-and I am including Mocktails and Sodas in this. I have resolved to have 1 Cocktail to 2 Mocktails and 2 Sodas to hopefully prevent me getting intoxicated. A good friend suggested bringing some packages of that snack that is so tasty and some pre-packaged nuts from home so you're eating something while drinking alcohol. Drinking on an empty stomach is the main cause of people being under the influence quickly but you shouldn't get into trouble with 1 alcoholic drink to 4 non-alcoholic drinks and something to eat as well! I'm happy to explain to the bar staff that once the drink is poured I would like it transferred to my mug with the clip on lid, so I can safely return to my Suite and enjoy it! When I next go to the supermarket I shall check the price of salted and unsalted cashews. My friend wants to dine about 8 pm so I'm a little concerned about Cocktails with Canapes and want to have something pre-packaged in the Suite, and I've already been told to get some of those delicious cookies from the International Café and store them in the fridge for later enjoyment. And of course, making several visits, I just might get a better range of flavours too!:D It looks, from the Deck Plans, that you can do almost a complete circuit of the Promenade Deck without stairs which is good for me, I don't mind having to turn and go back over the same ground, it's a different direction, and I'm enjoying the view,. Yes, a sunhat, sunglasses and sunscreen are already on the packing list.

[jasbo49]

Thought I'd dust off and bump up a thread from last month to see if bubs74, the OP, is still out there. If so, can you tell us how you liked your suite? What perks did you find most useful?

 

And congrats on your wedding.

 

Jim

[bubs74]

Thought I'd dust off and bump up a thread from last month to see if bubs74, the OP, is still out there. If so, can you tell us how you liked your suite? What perks did you find most useful?

 

And congrats on your wedding.

 

Jim

 

 

Hi Jim- We loved our suite and know that we will have a hard time booking an interior ever again. We had completely splurged on the suite and it was worth it for our honeymoon. Loved Sabatini's for breakfast. We were sad on days that we could not go because of early ports. We were always sat at the same table each morning and the food & service were perfect. We also used the in-room tea service twice. First time, we let them bring the whole set up. The second time, we asked for less food because we felt like it was too wasteful with all they brought the first time. We also loved the Elite lounge in skywalkers. At most, there would be 4 couples in there. We tried most of the drink specials and really enjoyed the snacks - favorite was herbed goat cheese bruchetta. The music was the best on the ship and we got to know Raheesh, our favorite waiter, very well. We sent out laundry twice. The charge shows up on your bill and then also as a credit. So, we know that it was worth about $100. We wouldn't have sent out laundry if we had to pay for it. But, it was nice being able to bring home some clean clothes. We traded our minibar for 2 coffee cards. We didn't even use up one whole card, but the alcohol in the set up was nothing that we liked and we don't drink soda. The Thermal Suite was awesome. We went 3 or 4 times. The most people we ever had in there was 4 besides us. Some times, it was only us. I liked the gentle sauna and hubby liked the steam room, so we would go our separate ways and then meet on the heated stone loungers when we were each done. Then, we would go out to the hot tub in the sanctuary, which you don't need a sanctuary pass to access. Again, we would not have paid for the thermal suite, but it was a luxurious perk. Knowing what it is now, we will still not pay for it on future cruises. I have read that it is different on different ships. On the Crown, it's just 3 steam/sauna rooms and 2 multi-jet showers (one of which was broken for the whole cruise).

 

Other perks:

- priority boarding: WONDERFUL. We were around the first 20 or so to board and it made for a great and stress-free start to the trip. (Not a suite perk, but is easier to do if you have priority boarding: Go to your room and read the patter about dining options. One dining room will be listed for lunch service but only until about 1:30 or so. No one mentions this and if you ask stewards and crew, them will tell you that lunch is in the buffet only. Having a quiet and non-crowded first lunch was great. We were sat at the window watching all the "minions" board. :p)

- disembarkation lounge: We were only there for 5 minutes but it was a very relaxing place to wait to be called. Best part was that they had an elevator reserved for you.

- nice robes in the room: Used them daily and loved them.

- extended room service: Sometimes if we were too full for dessert after dinner, we would later call for it to be delivered around 9. It was nice to have it out on the balcony.

- nightly canapes: Ordered once - not that good in our opinion.

- Chef's welcome goodies: these were the same as the nightly canapes we discovered - see above

- Chocolate strawberries: Never saw them. We might have needed to ask for them.

 

Let me know if you have any other specific questions. I am in cruise withdrawal and wouldn't mind at all.

[jasbo49]

Wow, thanks for the great and thorough report. Only other question I can think of is:

 

Did you ever order room service off the dining room menu (other than the dessert)? If so, I'm curious whether they dressed up your balcony table with table cloth, etc. I've heard they do this, and I'm thinking of having a nice MDR dinner delivered on formal nights. We don't plan to bring anything close to "elegant" in the way of clothing. And having broken the bank for this upsell, we don't want to spend extra on a specialty restaurant or balcony dinner if we have this option.

 

Jim

Edited September 20, 2015 by jasbo49

[bubs74]

Wow, thanks for the great and thorough report. Only other question I can think of is:

 

Did you ever order room service off the dining room menu (other than the dessert)? If so, I'm curious whether they dressed up your balcony table with table cloth, etc. I've heard they do this, and I'm thinking of having a nice MDR dinner delivered on formal nights. We don't plan to bring anything close to "elegant" in the way of clothing. And having broken the bank for this upsell, we don't want to spend extra on a specialty restaurant or balcony dinner if we have this option.

 

Jim

 

We never ordered meals from the MDR for room service, so I don't know the answer to that one. When we had afternoon tea delivered, they did dress up our table inside the cabin with a tablecloth, rolled silverware, and many many many plates/saucers/jams/creams etc. FYI, a suite perk is that you do get a free cover charge on embarkation night to one of the specialty restaurants. But, that won't be a formal night.

[compozer]

Room service does bring a table cloth along - well - most of the time. If you don't have a table in your cabin, they will put it on the coffee table or on the balcony table.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Glad everything went as well as hoped!

[crochetcruise]

Hi Jim- We loved our suite and know that we will have a hard time booking an interior ever again. We had completely splurged on the suite and it was worth it for our honeymoon. Loved Sabatini's for breakfast. We were sad on days that we could not go because of early ports. We were always sat at the same table each morning and the food & service were perfect. We also used the in-room tea service twice. First time, we let them bring the whole set up. The second time, we asked for less food because we felt like it was too wasteful with all they brought the first time. We also loved the Elite lounge in skywalkers. At most, there would be 4 couples in there. We tried most of the drink specials and really enjoyed the snacks - favorite was herbed goat cheese bruchetta. The music was the best on the ship and we got to know Raheesh, our favorite waiter, very well. We sent out laundry twice. The charge shows up on your bill and then also as a credit. So, we know that it was worth about $100. We wouldn't have sent out laundry if we had to pay for it. But, it was nice being able to bring home some clean clothes. We traded our minibar for 2 coffee cards. We didn't even use up one whole card, but the alcohol in the set up was nothing that we liked and we don't drink soda. The Thermal Suite was awesome. We went 3 or 4 times. The most people we ever had in there was 4 besides us. Some times, it was only us. I liked the gentle sauna and hubby liked the steam room, so we would go our separate ways and then meet on the heated stone loungers when we were each done. Then, we would go out to the hot tub in the sanctuary, which you don't need a sanctuary pass to access. Again, we would not have paid for the thermal suite, but it was a luxurious perk. Knowing what it is now, we will still not pay for it on future cruises. I have read that it is different on different ships. On the Crown, it's just 3 steam/sauna rooms and 2 multi-jet showers (one of which was broken for the whole cruise).

 

Other perks:

- priority boarding: WONDERFUL. We were around the first 20 or so to board and it made for a great and stress-free start to the trip. (Not a suite perk, but is easier to do if you have priority boarding: Go to your room and read the patter about dining options. One dining room will be listed for lunch service but only until about 1:30 or so. No one mentions this and if you ask stewards and crew, them will tell you that lunch is in the buffet only. Having a quiet and non-crowded first lunch was great. We were sat at the window watching all the "minions" board. :p)

- disembarkation lounge: We were only there for 5 minutes but it was a very relaxing place to wait to be called. Best part was that they had an elevator reserved for you.

- nice robes in the room: Used them daily and loved them.

- extended room service: Sometimes if we were too full for dessert after dinner, we would later call for it to be delivered around 9. It was nice to have it out on the balcony.

- nightly canapes: Ordered once - not that good in our opinion.

- Chef's welcome goodies: these were the same as the nightly canapes we discovered - see above

- Chocolate strawberries: Never saw them. We might have needed to ask for them.

 

Let me know if you have any other specific questions. I am in cruise withdrawal and wouldn't mind at all.

 

THANK YOU! I'm in a Suite myself in November 2016, and have noted about the extended RoomService tip for dessert.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[dorisis]

We're going to be in a suite for the first time soon too, and I'm hoping OP bubs74 will allow me to cut in with a few questions of my own. Seemed better than starting a whole new thread.

 

1. I've read the Princess PDF on suite amenities, but I don't see the free glass of bubbly you get in a mini. Is this just an omission?

1.It is a mini bottle and you can open it anytime

 

2. There's mention of a DVD library. Where would this be? How extensive? I'm talking about the Grand Princess if it matters.

2. Your steward will bring you a menu of available movies.

 

3. Chef's "welcome goodies" on embarkation day. What kind of stuff does this include?

3. small dish of nuts or something similar

 

4. It says there's a "private portrait sitting with onboard photographer." Is it just the sitting that's free or do you get a free portrait?

4, Free

 

5. The list says "fresh orchid in stateroom," but I've seen videos with a nice bouquet in a vase. What are you likely to get in the way of flowers and how often? Just at embarkation?

5, No more bouqets just the orchid

 

Thanks for enduring my silly questions. We're still in the "pinch me" phase after accepting an upsell. We honestly thought we'd never sail in a suite and here we are booked in a penthouse. Yik

[NavyVeteran]

1. I've read the Princess PDF on suite amenities, but I don't see the free glass of bubbly you get in a mini. Is this just an omission?

1.It is a mini bottle and you can open it anytime

 

The "welcome glass of champagne" in a mini-suite is listed in Stateroom Amenities under FAQ: ONBOARD EXPERIENCE. This FAQ "full suites offer all of these premiums" plus others.

 

It is not listed under Suite Amenities because that PDF lists "amenities exclusively for our Suite passengers".

[cr8tiv1]

We're going to be in a suite for the first time soon too, and I'm hoping OP bubs74 will allow me to cut in with a few questions of my own. Seemed better than starting a whole new thread.

 

1. I've read the Princess PDF on suite amenities, but I don't see the free glass of bubbly you get in a mini. Is this just an omission?

1.It is a mini bottle and you can open it anytime

 

2. There's mention of a DVD library. Where would this be? How extensive? I'm talking about the Grand Princess if it matters.

2. Your steward will bring you a menu of available movies.

 

3. Chef's "welcome goodies" on embarkation day. What kind of stuff does this include?

3. small dish of nuts or something similar

There is also a dish of canapés. Not very good in my opinion.

 

4. It says there's a "private portrait sitting with onboard photographer." Is it just the sitting that's free or do you get a free portrait?

4, Free

I believe the sitting is free for everyone, but it will cost an arm and a leg to purchase a portrait.

 

5. The list says "fresh orchid in stateroom," but I've seen videos with a nice bouquet in a vase. What are you likely to get in the way of flowers and how often? Just at embarkation?

5, No more bouqets just the orchid

I've had both orchid plants and bouquets. On my last cruise, I had the bouquet and it was changed out once mid-cruise.

 

Thanks for enduring my silly questions. We're still in the "pinch me" phase after accepting an upsell. We honestly thought we'd never sail in a suite and here we are booked in a penthouse. Yik

 

Don't forget, with an upsell, you will receive 2 cruise credits for this voyage. Ask the Captain Circle agent or be sure to check your CC account when you get home. You can always call them to have the credit added.

 

Yes, I have ordered room service from the MDR and a pub lunch from the Crown Grill. Sometimes it is just nice to sit and enjoy the suite without the crowds. Always be kind to your table mates and let them know if you will not be at your table.

[JF - retired RRT]

Wow, thanks for the great and thorough report. Only other question I can think of is:

 

Did you ever order room service off the dining room menu (other than the dessert)? If so, I'm curious whether they dressed up your balcony table with table cloth, etc. I've heard they do this, and I'm thinking of having a nice MDR dinner delivered on formal nights. We don't plan to bring anything close to "elegant" in the way of clothing. And having broken the bank for this upsell, we don't want to spend extra on a specialty restaurant or balcony dinner if we have this option.

 

Jim

If you want to make that dinner "sort of" like the UBD without the expense...someone stated on a thread I was reading that rather than ordering all the dinner at one time, they ordered in courses. First the salad, tip the waiter, eat. Then the main dish, tip the waiter, eat...etc.

More trips for the room service staff, more tips from you, but the cold food will be cold and the hot food will be hot, instead of getting everything all at the same time.